Winter darks can be found as early as February in some regions. That said, if you’re looking for winter dark fireflies, you might want to start looking a little earlier. This is when they are typically most active. You are most likely to see fireflies during the summer months, typically late May through early August. This means that the time period for seeing fireflies is fairly short each year. This is the time when their iconic light shows are on full display each evening.įireflies don’t live very long in the adult stage–usually only for a couple of months. The best time to see fireflies is when they are in the adult stage and searching for a mate. They are not really active during the summer months, except as larvae hidden around the bases of trees and feeding on soft-bodied insects. They lay their eggs in late spring and early summer, live as larvae for the next 16 months, and emerge from their pupas the following late summer or early fall. Winter dark fireflies follow a different life cycle. Most adult fireflies make their debut sometime between the third week of May through the third week of June. They stay in the pupal stage usually for about ten days, though this can vary greatly by species.Īdult fireflies finally begin emerging from the pupas in late spring through early summer. At this time, they begin feeding and growing again. Most firefly larvae stop hibernating in early spring, as the days lengthen and the weather warms up. They seem to be drawn to sap flows on trees, where they may drink some of the sap to begin replenishing their depleted energy stores. Unlike other fireflies, they may start becoming active before the end of winter. They, too, spend the coldest months sleeping instead of eating they are most likely to take shelter behind the bark near the base of trees. Winter dark fireflies, as discussed above, spend their second winter hibernating as adults. On the other hand, longer and colder winters can lead to a delay in their emergence. Shorter, milder winters lead to longer and more abundant feeding periods for firefly larvae during these years, they may pupate and emerge as adults earlier in the summer. Then they sleep until it begins to warm up again. When the weather gets cold, they stop eating and burrow underground. They spend several weeks eating their fill of snails, slugs, worms, and other soft-bodied creatures, growing quickly and building up their own reserves. This allows them to store and conserve their energy, helping them stay alive in spite of the harsh conditions they face.Īs noted above, firefly larvae emerge from their eggs in late summer or fall. With this in mind, there isn’t a whole lot they can do other than sleep.įireflies hibernate throughout the winter. ![]() Though their winter homes keep them from freezing, overwintering fireflies and larvae are still subjected to cold temperatures and food shortages. Most species overwinter underground where they can avoid freezing temperatures above the surface. They overwinter under layers of tree bark and emerge as the days begin to grow longer, clustering on the sunny sides of trees and around sap flows.Īgain, though, most fireflies spend the winter as larvae. Winter dark fireflies are so named not only because they lack light producing organs but because they are active earlier than any other firefly species–sometimes as early as late winter. This firefly has a much longer lifespan than most, spending about 16 months as larvae and about 8 months as adults. ![]() This is the common pattern for most fireflies that said, there are around 2,000 species in the world, and many of them do not follow this pattern perfectly.įor example, the winter dark firefly, which produces no light as an adult, spends one winter in the larval stage and one in the adult stage. ![]() In late spring, they enter the pupal stage, finally emerging as adults in early summer. ![]() Once spring returns, firefly larvae will emerge and begin feeding again. There, they wait for the weather to warm up again. Most firefly larvae stay underground throughout the winter months others take shelter beneath the bark of trees. Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Epic Battle: Firefly larvae (Glow worm larvae ) vs L.fulica ()
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